Her sidekick is her assistant. And that’s when the movie gets interesting, because not only is the sidekick reflecting the actress’ ideas about youth, but she is played by Kristen Stewart, who aside from the details of “the play,” is in real life the living embodiment of a Juliette Binoche of 25 years ago. So every exchange is steeped in the reality, even if Stewart is playing an assistant in the film.

(…)

Stewart’s character is filling multiple roles, symbolically, here. But the one as a reflection of what Moretz’s character may wake up to in a few years, the next even more aggressive/abusive/self-trapped person behind her, closing even faster.

I have had the opportunity to chat with Kristen Stewart a couple times before Twilight and a couple of times since. I have never felt like the genuine person is being hidden. There is a lot going on in her world… and she has been tardy… and she seems genuinely unhappy being poked at by those near her and at a distance… and she may even be a brat at times, don’t really know. But I like the person I’ve met. And I like this performance as much or more than anything I have seen her do. She reads as the person I have met, having been given that room by the screenplay and Assayas, and Binoche. It often feels like a beautifully lit document of two women to whom ideas are important, who respect each other, and who are worldly, each at very much their own age.

To help her through this metaphysically trying time is assistant Valentine, here played by Kristen Stewart who delivers a performance of immense poise and texture, retaining good humour in the face of a full-time position which involves being locked in the professional mindset of another woman. Her character, replete with forearm tattoos, vintage band t-shirts and thick black-framed glasses, is one who initially seems like a satirical archetype of the carefree PR dolly, yet Stewart imparts an air of pensive solemnity, seldom exploding into grand, try-hard theatrics.

Assayas is a master of fluent, even sinuous, film-making. Although in its way yet another film about film-making, it’s also about the power and transience of youth. The French do it differently. They do it better.

If there is something like a cinematic collective unconscious, Clouds of Sils Maria is the closest thing to represent, and does so with stunning images and powerful (the serpent of clouds that runs through the valley and gives the title to the piece), precise dialogues and fun Two actresses bravissime (Binoche and Stewart, whose duet represent 80% of the film).

We’re as surprised as anyone, but the major acting laurels on this particular occasion go to, wait for it, Kristen Stewart, who for our money delivers the better performance (and the film is mostly a two-hander between her and Binoche), and actually manages to make some of the thankless exposition and clumsy dialogue she’s given sound almost natural. Perhaps it’s because she’s playing a character that is not a version of herself–as much as the film comments on Stewart’s fame and peculiar type of celebrity, it does so largely through the medium of the Jo-Ann character played by Chloe Grace Moretz, and so Stewart is free to just play a part and not navel gaze quite so much. In her guise as a personal assistant to a star, she can deliver observations about the nature of teen fandom and say stuff like “there are a shit ton of pre teens, so watch out” and we can all chuckle at the thought of the rabid 12-year-old ”Twilight” fanbase, but she is doing it from the safe distance of a role that is clearly differentiated from her, and in which she is natural and unforced.

Assayas is really more interested in the dynamic between Maria and Val (Kristen Stewart), the actor’s personal assistant, who works her iPhone with one hand and her BlackBerry with the other. The relationship here is quite beautifully drawn, with Stewart again demonstrating what a fine performer she can be away from the shadow of Twilight. Sitting down for dinner, in one telling scene, Val dismisses her boss as a snob and claims that blockbuster fantasies can be just as valid, in their way, as social-realist dramas set in factories or on farms. Maria arches a delicate eyebrow. Yet again, she’s unconvinced.

The majority of the film’s two hours is devoted to scenes involving Binoche and Stewart, sometimes with others but mostly alone, so for anyone who enjoys watching these two excellent actresses knocking it back and forth as their characters cope with the myriad issues surrounding a performing career, there is much to behold. This is definitely an insider’s view, looking at things not in a salacious way but as a consideration of the way such lives are led and how past associations continue to impact decisions made in the present.

(…)

Binoche and Stewart seem so natural and life-like that it would be tempting to suggest that they are playing characters very close to themselves. But this would also be denigrating and condescending, as if to suggest that they’re not really acting at all. Their give-and-take and the timing of their exchanges, particularly in the rehearsal sequences, is wonderfully fluid and non-theatrical; Binoche works in a more animated register, which makes Stewart’s habitual low-keyed style, which can border on the monotone, function as effectively underplayed contrast. Moretz is all high-keyed confidence.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 196 other subscribers

Email Address

Disclaimer

This is a Robsten fan blog. The opinions expressed here represent our own.
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. StrictlyRobsten.com makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. We are a nonprofit institution; therefore, no amount of profit is gathered from the existence or prominence of this website. No copyright infringement is intended, and we, therefore, will comply to any complaints regarding this. StrictlyRobsten.com is intended to provide information regarding the relationship of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and their various projects and whereabouts. We, by no means, have connections to these actors; in fact, we are simply just fans, sharing our passion with all of you. Therefore, it is our intention to spread the word. Please contact us if there are any violations in this blog and we will be fully compliant with your request (pending the violation).